Freshman guard Maddie Manning earned a spot in the lineup and played well in the Sooners' three-game Rainbow Wahine Showdown sweep. She set her career high in scoring in each game, totaling 10, 11 and 12 points in wins over Arkansas, Oregon and Hawaii, respectively.

“She earned it,” Coale said. “We competed and said whoever does the best job in practice this week is gonna get the nod. She earned it and took advantage of it.”

Manning, from Ankeny, Iowa, hopes to start her fourth career game Thursday, when Oklahoma returns home to Lloyd Noble Center and hosts Northwestern (La.) State. At Wednesday's practice, though, Manning fell to the court with a knee injury.

She was able to walk herself off the court, but her status for Thursday's game is unknown.

Senior forward Joanna McFarland started Oklahoma's first three games, when Manning came in off the bench. If the freshman is unable to play Thursday, Coale is confident in her squad's toughness and resiliency, which she said was displayed in Hawaii.

“Guys understood that if they're not doing their job, there's somebody on the bench who can come in and do that job for them,” Coale said of what she learned about her team last weekend.

“That's not a negative thing; that's a very positive thing. It's what makes teams great, and what keeps them growing.”

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by Jason Kersey

OU Sports Reporter

Jason Kersey became The Oklahoman's OU football beat writer in May 2012 after a year covering high school sports and OSU recruiting. Before joining the newspaper in November 2006 as a part-time results clerk, he covered high school football for...